Tech Recipes for Success from MaintainIT
Josh Hadro -- Library Journal, 11/18/2008 8:24:00 AM
- Collection of professional librarians' experience for tech best practices
- Third and final book in cookbook series
- Includes "toolkit" for troubleshooting and planning
It’s no secret that a number of librarians end up serving as their own tech support out of necessity. To help this self-reliant lot, the MaintainIT Project—founded three years ago with Gates Foundation funding—has been providing a central place for librarians to share expertise. Collecting much of this experience into one volume, MaintainIT recently released the third and final installment of its “cookbook” series, titled The Joy of Computing—Planning for Success.
According to the nonprofit, the cookbooks are “written by librarians from around the country, featuring current ideas and best practices.” The Joy of Computing takes a look at “planning, building, and managing your library’s computer technology” and examines the institutional policy and planning documents necessary to ensure the long-term success of a library technology plan. The book’s six sections cover topics like strategy, security, procurement, and maintenance; it also features a companion “toolkit” volume with troubleshooting rubrics and checklists for planning and installations.
Other titles in the series are Recipes for a 5-Star Library and Small and Rural Libraries. All three cookbooks have been released under a Creative Commons license and are available online in HTML and PDF formats, or as a bound book for purchase from CafePress.
